Margaret Thatcher Dead

[haha]

This must have been discussed and I just missed it, since even Annette has a thread.

Margaret Thatcher likely saved Britain, and was one of the strongest and most fearless politicians of the 2nd half of the 20th century. Few now remember that England had totally been surpassed economically by the Northern European continental powers, particularly Germany.
She saw through the faults of the Euro, and strongly opposed the UK joining, something that is still a political issue I believe, even though it should be clear by now that the single currency for very different countries was and is a horrible idea.

Many people in Britain and elsewhere were strongly opposed to her, perhaps even hated her. She was a Tory, but not of the "right sort". And certainly her policies caused much dislocation and human pain in industries that were shut down, especially coal mining and steel, and the families that had depended on these industries for generations. It is hard for us to remember today, but the UK had had big mining and steel industries for over 100 years.

UK stock market and bond market were devastated by the 70s, and I don't think there was much hope that it would get better. But today London is a financial center that dwarfs any on the continent, and rivals New York.

Ha

 

[Candy83]

I wasn't a fan.

 

[UserRequested]

She broke the unions who at that time were holding the country to ransom IMHO. She made the tough decisions, yes there was short term pain for long term gain.

 

[obgyn65]

Condolences to her family, but she was a very polarizing political figure. She certainly had a better press here than in the EU, especially continental EU.

 

[clifp]

I have been a fan of hers forever, and was sadden by her death.

I wish there was fantasy sports league for Political leaders, because Lady Thatcher would either #4 or #5 draft choice behind Winston Churchill, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt and probably tied with AttaTurk as the most effective leaders of the 20th century.

A person of immense courage, she actual did something that precious few politicians do she, led. Convincing kids to follow you to the ice cream shop isn't leadership, convincing scared young men to get out behind the wall, run across the beach and destroy the pillbox that is killing your comrades is leadership.

In 1979, Britain was the scared country, faced with become the Greece of its day. Begging the IMF for a loan, facing high inflation and near 20% unemployment, with intermittent , electricity, heating, garbage pick up, and even burial of the dead due to shortages and strikes.


That charging across the beach that Lady Thatcher lead, result in much pain and suffering. However, what her critics,then and now never acknowledge was that there was no alternative. The fact that Tony Blair when took office embraced the free market reform, that PM Thatcher dragged Great Britain to accept is proof of her wisdom.

I highly recommend this book There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters . The author, an American woman, educated at Oxford and now living in Istanbul, interviewed almost all of her Thatcher contemporaries to reconstruct a picture of her political life. It is very readable, much more than the 600 page tome Iron Lady that I struggled to complete.

 

[UserRequested]

I wasn't a fan.

Neither am I [mod edit]

 

[Nemo2]

Neither am I, now that I know she was an outright racial bigot.

She, like many other 'people of their times', did what was needed to be done, which didn't include beatification.........unlike some who received that acknowledgement:

[mod edit]

 

[obgyn65]

I don't want this thread to be closed down, but [mod edit]

She, like many other 'people of their times', did what needed to be done, which didn't include beatification.........unlike some who received that acknowledgement:

[mod edit]

 

[Nemo2]

I don't want this thread to be closed down, but [mod edit]

[mod edit]

 

[obgyn65]

We run the risk of getting political and getting his thread closed. The point is that Baroness Thatcher was the Head of State of one of the most powerful nations on earth and was representing her people with her words and actions.[mod edit]

This is my last post under this thread. Again, condolences to Baroness Thatcher's family, but no doubt she was a very divisive and polarizing politician.

 

[MichaelB]

Thanks for all the comments

Porky Pig Cartoon Ending "That's All Folks!" - YouTube